An Old Friend
by Anulis
Summary: Jack's symbiote Kanan returns with news about an attack on earth. What will Kanan's return mean in the fight against Anubis, and what will it mean between Jack and Sam? Enjoy...
1. Nightmares

"_I shall begin again. Who are you?"_

_"Colonel Jack O'Neill US Air Force, two L's in that." Jack gasped under the pain. The knife that had so spitefully slid its way into his left shoulder caused him to spit these words; he really didn't want to tell this snake-head anything._

_"What was it called?" Baal asked coldly; Jack narrowed his eyes, the Goa'ulds face had shifted somewhat before he said that, what was going on?_

_"I don't know and I don't care!"_

_"Tok'ra retain the identities of both host and symbiote. You are O'Neill, what was the name of your symbiote?"_

_"I don't…remember." Baal's face shifted again, like it was trying to fly off its owner's head. _

_"What Tok'ra secrets could a single name reveal?" Baal asked with a devilish smile on his face._

_"If I knew the name I'd give you the damn name! I don't care about protecting the Tok'ra!" Jack replied, slamming his head against the grate._

_"The Tok'ra have been a nuisance for centuries-" Baal's face shifted again, and this time more violently. The pain in Jack's shoulder was gone, but it had been replaced by the smoldering sensation of acid burrowing it's way through his chest._

I hate you. This is your fault! Jack thought scathingly. I'm gonna die here, you left me alone to die. I hate you!

_"Kanan!" Jack bellowed. "That's a name…" _But he was no longer speaking to Baal's loathsome face. As he had yelled the name Kanan in his nightmare, he had shot up in bed, dripping in a cold sweat and shouted the name into the darkness.

After shaking his head vigorously in every direction, Jack threw off his sheet and stumbled drowsily into the bathroom. A splash in the face with cold water calmed him down and he stared in the mirror for a moment, noticing how clearly the lines of agedness shown in his face.

"God, this is gettin' old."

The next morning, Jack was late getting up and had to speed to get to Cheyenne Mountain for the morning briefing, earning him several angry yells from people he cut off in his charge.

"Glad you could join us Colonel." General Hammond said in a tone fit to rival even Jack's sarcasm.

"Sorry Sir…Traffic." He explained as he lowered himself into a swivel chair. Teal'c lifted his head skyward in a sort of jaffa eye-roll. Daniel mimicked this in the earth fashion and Jack narrowed his eyes at him.

"So, where were we Major?" The General asked. Sam walked around the table once more and pointed her remote at the screen.

"The environment on P4X-949 can support human life long enough for me to get the samples I want with minimal side effects. Dr. Mackenzie agrees the trip would be safe if we only stayed for a few hours and brought oxygen tanks just in case." Jack raised his eyebrows until they nearly disappeared into his hairline.

"Can support human life _long enough_?" He asked with a slight edge to his voice. "What exactly does that mean Carter?" Sam pressed a button on the remote and an image of P4X-949 with its swirling purple and blue clouds appeared fully animated on the screen.

"The atmosphere of the planet is full of liquefied hydrogen molecules that-"

"Carter!" Jack said threateningly, she smiled and laughed silently.

"What I mean to say sir is the atmosphere is very very humid, almost too humid to support human life. Breathing on the planet for a prolonged period of time would cause our lungs to be over moisturized and we would essentially drown. In addition, there's a slight electro-magnetic field, but the most that could cause is a slight headache. But I believe there could be huge medical advancements in this for us sir." Jack was staring, open mouthed, at Sam and his eyes seemed glossed over.

"Uh, Jack?" Daniel asked narrowing his eyes.

"Too humid to sustain human life?"

"Only after a long time sir."

"Slight electric field?"

"Yes sir, but not dangerous."

"And you want samples of?"

"A certain cloud on the planet." Jack nodded and sighed heavily.

"General, do we have to physically go to the planet?" General Hammond looked to Sam to answer this.

"Major, can we send the M.A.L.P. or some other form of technology we posses to get the data you need?" Sam shook her head.

"No sir, not unless we teach the M.A.L.P. to dial the gate; I need actual samples of the cloud brought back to the SGC to run the tests I need." The General nodded and looked from Jack to Sam and back again and then sighed.

"I'm sorry Colonel, but the wealth of knowledge that can be had far outweighs the risks. Sg-1 will leave for P4X-949 at 0900 tomorrow morning." With that the discussion was over and Sg-1 got the rest of the day off.

"Hell, I've got to clean my locker anyway." Jack said as he and Teal'c talked in the locker room.

"O'Neill, may I ask the reason for your hesitation in taking the mission to P4X-949?" Jack sighed one of his most exhausted sighs and pulled the picture of his son off the locker door.

"I dunno Teal'c, I just have a bad feeling about this one." He replied, his voice turning somewhat bland.

"Perhaps you consumed something that did not come to an agreement with your stomach O'Neill." Jack stopped for a moment and put the photograph back in his locker. He turned slowly and narrowed his eyes at Teal'c.

"Teal'c…was that a joke?" Teal'c waited for a brief moment and then let loose one of his very rare smiles. Jack laughed aloud and continued to laugh silently at Teal'c joke attempt for a long time after. That night, Jack awoke several times each after having yelled the name of his one-time symbiote.

"Feeling alright sir?" Sam asked as she threw on her heavy pack in the gate room. Jack was rubbing his eyes and forehead with one hand and failing at tying his boot with the other.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired. Thanks for asking." He replied with a smile. Sam smiled back and began piling their spare air tanks onto the F.R.E.D. module. The intercom told them all to step back from the gate as it was activated, which was quite pointless as Teal'c, Sam, and Jack were nowhere near the gate and Daniel hadn't even arrived.

"Plan on coming Daniel?" Jack shouted down hall C2. Daniel didn't answer as he came jogging into the gate room still trying to attach his backpack. "Come here." Jack said in a fatherly way, helping the young archaeologist clip his bag on.

"If you do not return within the four hour limit, I'm sending Sg-3 to extract you. Good luck."


	2. Trapped

Jack found himself and his three companions coughing on the other side of the event horizon. As Sam had predicted, it only took them a moment to stop their coughing fits and grow used to the soggy air. It was incredibly loud due to the ferocious winds and Jack had to yell to be heard over them. Teal'c took point and Sam led them toward the cloud, steering the F.R.E.D. unit and watching it's internal map-computer all the way.

"Wow…" Jack said staring up at the billowing wall of purple cloud before them. "Is this it Carter?" he shouted. She wasn't loud enough to reply, so she gave him a thumbs up and pointed to her watch, telling him that it would take some time. He and Daniel, (Teal'c stayed behind to keep an eye on Sam), moved toward a small dip in the ground that looked very much like a foxhole and settled into it where the wind wasn't tossing them about.

"I really don't see why I had to come," Daniel said, now audible without the wind. "I'm a linguist, not a scientist. I can't help at all on any planets without people or at least ruins on them."

"You were offered a desk job when we first got into this…" Daniel didn't reply. "Besides it's been a blast right?" Both Jack and Daniel smiled and the latter nodded in agreement. It seemed like quite a bit more than four hours before Sam called them out of the foxhole and signaled that she had her samples.

It took a lot of wheezing and gasping, not to mention the two times that Jack had fallen in an attempt to pick Daniel back up from his constant tripping, but the team eventually made it to the gate with minimal injury. As Daniel moved forward cautiously to dial the gate, Jack thought how ridiculous his original feelings about the mission had been.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted, pointing at the Colonel's shoulder. Jack had no time to react. He opened his mouth to shout and the mature Goa'uld symbiote flung itself into his mouth and dove through the back of his throat. It took a moment for Jack to realize what happened; the back of his throat hurt a lot, but when he reached up to massage it with his hand, he found that he couldn't move.

"Colonel!"

"Jack!" The shouts issued from his friends' mouths were no longer muffled by the wind. He felt himself try to step forward and mad every attempt to resist, but he was helpless to stop himself. Jack had to watch powerlessly as the Goa'uld hit Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam once each with the zat he carried, a prisoner in his own body. He was forced to walk toward the DHD and began to put in an address. His futile attempts to resist were making his mind weak and as he walked through the event horizon, he blacked out.


	3. Devastated

"Medical team to the embarkation room!" The Sergeant yelled into the loud speaker. Sam and Teal'c were fine, but they had returned through the gate carrying Daniel, who had been stabbed in the lower abdomen by a sharp rock after falling from the zat blast. Carter helped them to lift Daniel onto a gurney and Teal'c ran gracefully down the ramp, through several halls, and burst in on General Hammond's briefing with another SG team.

"Teal'c what's going on?" Teal'c didn't even take a second to catch his breath.

"Colonel O'Neill has been taken as a host to a Goa'uld." General Hammond looked completely horrified.

"Is he already in the infirmary?"

"He disabled Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, and myself and then left through the Stargate. However, I believe Daniel Jackson saw the address. He is currently in the infirmary with an injury." General Hammond nodded and dismissed Sg-6.

"Lead the way." In the infirmary, a nurse was stitching Daniel's wound already; a process he did not take happily to.

"General, I just wrote down the, ow! Sorry, I gave the address to Sam and she's checking it in the dialing computer. Sir, we have to go after him." He pleaded.

"I know son, don't worry. If the address checks out, I'll approve an immediate rescue mission with SG-3 on the assist." Daniel would have jumped up and hugged the General if he wasn't otherwise preoccupied. In the control room, Sam was already ordering an immediate dial of the coordinates and was overseeing a M.A.L.P.'s journey from storage to the gate room.

"Is everything handled here major?" Sam only nodded. Her anguish seemed to be beyond words. The General sensed this and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Major…Sam, why don't you go and get cleaned up? There's nothing more you can do here." Sam nodded thankfully and stalked off to the women's locker room. She slammed the door shut behind her and glared around to make sure the room was empty. Without even taking her clothes off (not that it mattered as she was soaked from the trip to the planet), she stood in an icy shower, her tears mingling with the bitter cold water pouring down her face.

Her mind was full of thought of the Colonel; laughing as they told jokes over pizza and Star Wars at his house, lying in his arms in the Antarctic next to the second gate, and especially of the look on his face when he wouldn't leave her on a Goa'uld planet when he couldn't get through the shield. With these images darting around under her eyelids, Sam could barely breathe. She covered her face with her hands and slid down the blue-tiled shower wall and sat crying on the floor.

"Major Carter?" Teal'c had entered the room, and seeing Sam's bag on the floor, went to investigate. When he found her in the shower, she didn't even look up. He reached up slowly and turned off the water, also grabbing a towel that he wrapped around her shoulders. Teal'c sat on the ground next to her and placed an arm gently around her; an embrace that she imitated, hugging him around the middle and crying into his side. The two sat there silently for what seemed like hours, wondering how they were going to save Jack, wondering if they even could.


	4. Welcome Back

_You must stop resisting me._ A voice said in the back of Jack's mind. It seemed like any thought he had ever had, but it was definitely someone else's. Jack had no intention of giving in to this Goa'uld.

_Get out. You can't have my body! _He yelled silently. Everything around him was unfamiliar. He was lying on the ground, his arms folded across his chest, in a grove of lush, green trees.

_I think you'll find that if you cease resisting me, you will come to understand-_

_I don't want to understand! Get out!_ He shouted back. His body jerked a little with his attempt to force the Goa'uld out of his mind and body.

_We are not going anywhere until I am certain you understand. But maybe there's a better way for me to explain this to you._ Suddenly, Jack was quite free to move, he stood up, but he was no longer in the forest. He was standing in a vast field with tall yellow grasses and flowers around him. It seemed to go on endlessly, but when he walked forward, his outstretched hands hit a wall. The sky and meadow around him were an illusion.

"Colonel, this is my half of our mind. I can keep you here as long as I desire and I will unless you hear me out." A Goa'ulds voice said. Jack whirled around, behind him, standing somewhat higher on the false hill, was a man whose face he recognized just as he would General Hammond or one of his team, but he didn't know who it was.

"Get out of my body." Jack said with resolve, his fists clenched at his sides. The man shook his head, his eyes closed as if wearily.

"I will consider leaving you after, and only after I have explained myself. But I am convinced that you will understand the need for me to…borrow, I suppose, your body. What say you? Will you hear me out?" The man asked, looking penetratingly at Jack.

"Why should I bother?" He replied cruelly.

"Because the fate of your people and mine hangs in the balance." Jack looked at the man, the ground, his feet, and several other places as if searching for somewhere to run. Jack tried to look over his situation rationally. He was on a planet that he had never been to before, miles from the gate, locked in a room with someone he was sure he had met before, not to mention the fact that he was now an unwilling host to a Goa'uld.

"That's the first thing we should clear up Jack, I am very sorry I had to take you against your will, it goes against everything I believe in my heart, but in these circumstances…" He paused for a moment, and not entirely sure how, Jack knew he was telling the truth. He walked toward the man and looked him up and down.

"Fine, we'll talk." The man smiled weakly and gestured for him to sit down. When they were settled, he leaned back and sighed heavily as if he carried some great weight, Jack noticed.

"I would like to apologize once more for taking you as a host without your express permission. I have been waiting on that planet for so long, I never in my wildest dreams expected _you_ to be the one to come."

"That raises a question. Why would a Goa'uld care whether or not I wanted to be a host? You guys take people all the time without asking." The man didn't answer; he just stared at Jack with a look of understanding on his face. Jack opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what he was saying, it was like the symbiote was thinking for him.

"Yes?"

"Because…"

"Yes?"

"Because you're not a Goa'uld." Jack finished uncertainly. He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're a Tok'ra." The man nodded.

"That is correct. And?" Jack's face contorted with anger. He stood up and backed away, every line of his face darkened with fury. The man didn't move; it seemed he had expected this reaction. Jack shook his head slowly from side to side in a livid disbelief.

"Kanan."


	5. Forgive and Forget and Fear and Forego

"You son-of-a-bitch!"

"Jack-"

"I can't believe this!"

"Jack, please-"

"How dare you!" Jack yelled. He couldn't remember ever being so angry.

"Please Jack, listen…" Kanan stood up and walked toward Jack, his hands outstretched in an understanding manner, but it turned out to be a mistake. Jack threw one of his clenched fists and it collided with Kanan's jaw, or rather the jaw of what Jack assumed was his former host, sending him sprawling to the ground. He rolled himself onto his back clutching his jaw with one hand and holding the other out protectively, but he made no further attempts to rise.

"You took me to Baal's planet, against my will!"

"I know."

"And you left me there to die!"

"I know."

"That was one of the worst things I've ever been through!"

"And I can never forgive myself for that. I deserve nothing less than death for forcing you to go, and for leaving you there, and for taking you now." Kanan sighed again and looked back at the ground.

Despite how much Jack wanted to walk over and kick him, he felt sorry for Kanan. Somewhere inside him, he knew that Kanan had suffered as much as if not more than he had since they last met. He walked slowly over to him and held out a hand. Kanan flinched a little, expecting to be hit again, but he took his hand and Jack lifted him to his feet. He had often pondered this very situation, imagining himself beating the life out of Kanan; but time had taught him to forgive, and Jack found himself saying something completely unexpected.

"I think, someday…I can…forgive you." Kanan's gratitude for this statement flowed into Jack, who still felt wrong saying it, but they both felt better nonetheless.

"Thank you. But I still must explain this to you." Jack nodded and sat back down.

"Explain away, but-"

"Not like Major Carter, I know." They both laughed aloud at this until Jack remembered that she had seen him taken as a host.

"My people are gonna come looking for me." He said hesitantly.  
"I am counting on it. We are going to need both their help and the assistance of the Tok'ra." Jack cocked his head somewhat.

"Why were you on that planet?"

"I was sent there by a jaffa. After I fled your body, one of Lord Yu's jaffa that happened to be part of the resistance found me and allowed me to live in his symbiote pouch. When we went to battle on a planet controlled by Anubis, he died and I took a human slave as my host; through him, I was able to play a minor Goa'uld in Anubis' ranks.

"It is due to information I recovered that I had to take you as a host. I was discovered by Anubis' jaffa and I had to flee with my injured host; I went to the planet, knowing I couldn't heal him, and knowing I could survive even without a host, until you came…"

"What information?" Jack asked, now thoroughly interested. Kanan looked at the ground for a moment and sighed before looking back upwards at Jack.

"Anubis has fleet stationed on one of his planets. It departs for Earth in eight days…"


	6. The Truth

"Sg-3 will be under your command on this mission Major Carter. As you know you'll be taking intars and tranquilizer guns to attempt the capture of Colonel O'Neill's body. Sg-3 will stand guard at the gate to keep the Goa'uld from escaping; we don't want all our information on the market for the system lords. Sg-1 will search the area surrounding the gate and you will be accompanied by a UAV to seek out Colonel O'Neill's heat signature. Clear people?"

"Yes sir!" The four military voices in the gate room said. Daniel nodded with resolve and Teal'c bowed his head and clutched his "Intar-ized" staff weapon. Sg-1 were all still wet, Sam and Teal'c more so, it having been only an hour after there return. Dr. Mackenzie had requested that Daniel stayed behind, but he had insisted on going. Even Sam, who the doctor suspected had been in shock, was now standing in the gate room grasping her intar P-90.

"Major Carter. I want it understood that if he cannot be apprehended you are ordered to shoot to kill."

"Yes sir." She replied, knowing that she would do no such thing. Teal'c and Daniel silently agreed. They had made a pact to get the Colonel back no matter what.

"Let's move out!" Sam said, walking up the ramp herself. On the other side of the event horizon, the enlarged team fell to one knee and visually scoured the area. Sam was about to order the search to begin, but her attention was caught by a sound in the trees ahead of them. She gave several hand signals that Daniel and Teal'c didn't quite catch and lifted her tranquilizer gun. The others did the same just as someone came walking backward, very slowly and carefully, out of the tree line.

"Please do not fire, we are unarmed and will come with you willingly." Kanan said, as he turned to face them, his arms thrown out to the sides.

"Step forward three paces and put your hands on your head!" Kanan nodded and did as she asked.

"We know what to do," he said as he dropped to his knees. "Throw us some zip ties." Sam was unsure what he meant, until she realized that the Goa'uld must now know all about how the SGC deals with prisoners; but why was he cooperating? She threw two zip ties at him that he caught mid air and then used to secure his hands. He waved his bound hands in the air to prove that he had indeed fixed them tight and Sam, along with Sg-3, Daniel, and Teal'c, move forward to secure him. Just as they arrived, Kanan dropped his head for a moment and lifted it again.

"What took you so long Carter?" Jack asked smiling weakly at the look she gave him.

"Colonel?"

"No way ma'am." One of the Sg-3 members said, "It's probably just the Goa'uld pretending."

"Just wait a second lieutenant." She said.

"Carter, my symbiote's not a Goa'uld, he's Tok'ra." Jack shook his head vigorously and coughed mockingly. "_My_ symbiote? I can't believe you made me say that." Jack said, rubbing his temple.

"Colonel?" Sam asked, looking at him oddly, her weapon still trained at his heart.

"Guess who's back Carter? It's my old buddy Kanan." Jack said sarcastically, tapping his neck. He made to get up, but Teal'c placed his staff weapon on Jack's shoulder.

"Please remain where you are."

"Oh come on Teal'c…" He said. Teal'c looked him up and down and then removed his staff weapon.

"Sir?" The lieutenant asked again. Teal'c raised his hand and Jack stood up.

"Kanan says being here when the second sun rises is a bad idea." Jack said to Sam. She still had looks of doubt on her face, but she led the group back to the gate and began to dial home. Jack stood shifting from foot to foot in a very odd manner.

"Uh, Jack? What are you doing?" Daniel asked cautiously. Jack just laughed.

"No more bum knee. Ha!" He said with a smile that spread to Daniel's face too. But then Jack whirled around. On the horizon, the tip of the sun was coming up and the bluish rays were already hitting the top of the gate. Jack dropped his head to his chest and Kanan took over.

"Major Carter!" He ran toward her and tugged them both to the ground, covering her body with his own as several large rocks landed near them. Teal'c had seen the natives in the trees launching the rocks and let off a few warning shots over their heads. This didn't stop their rampage and they fired another slew of rocks, several of which hit Kanan, who hadn't moved off of Sam.

He waited a moment and jumped up, continuing to dial the SGC with his bound hands. He broke the zip ties easily and after pulling a very shocked Sam to her feet, he grabbed her remote transmitter and tossed it to Daniel, who typed in the new IDC. He took Sam by the hand and pulled them both through the gate, walking down a ways and then throwing his arms out to his sides once more.

"Close the iris!" Sam shouted after everyone had returned, followed by another volley of rocks. The solid titanium wall slid shut over the wormhole and Sam looked back down the ramp at Kanan, who was kneeling and had more weapons trained on him than seemed possible. General Hammond walked into the gate room, it was perfectly safe due to the fact that if Kanan moved there would be little left of him, and addressed Sam.

"Major? What the hell happened?" Sam shook the surprise off of her and looked to the gun crews.

"Hold your fire! He's a Tok'ra!" She yelled. Turning back to General Hammond, she cleared her gummy throat and spoke. "Sir, the Colonel talked to us on the planet, he claims that the symbiote inside him is the Tok'ra Kanan."

"You mean the one he blended with to cure him-"

"From the disease he got in Antarctica, yes sir."

"Major, how do you know it wasn't the Goa'uld imitating Colonel O'Neill?"

"He did not act as a Goa'uld General Hammond. He did in fact save Major Carter's life." Teal'c admitted.

"It's true sir, no Goa'uld would risk his own life to save someone. Kanan did." She said with resolve. The General hesitated a moment but then lifted the guard on Kanan, who rose and bowed his head.

"Thank you." Kanan said right before Jack began to talk.

"I wouldn't have trusted me you know…" He said laughingly, avoiding Sam's eyes.

"Lets go to the briefing room. But Colonel, you are to remain unarmed and under guard until we can get a Tok'ra in here to confirm what you…your symbiote says."


	7. Intuition

Jack was sitting in a corner, his armed guard watching him as he twirled around mindlessly in his swivel chair, bored and hot in his dress uniform. Kanan had told them about Anubis' attack fleet and in response, the General had set up a meeting with the Tok'ra and the Secretary of Defense to plan what would happen next. Kanan had stressed that the attack would commence in four days, and the Secretary wasn't in a good mood when he arrived on such short notice.

"Atten-hut" Jack said, rising to his feet and saluting as the secretary came in

"George, mind telling me what's going on? I didn't have time to get briefed on the plane, I was on the phone with the president trying to brief him." The General looked to Jack.

"Colonel, would you like to explain?" But Jack wasn't listening.

_I too have been torture by Baal before. _Kanan was saying. _The first time I tried to rescue Shayla. _

_Really? Did he use that-_

_The gravity field generator? Yes. But I have not experienced the Tel'vac Acid as you have._

_That stuff should be outlawed, even to the Goa'ulds._

_I believe General Hammond wishes to speak to you._

_Wow, what?_

_General Hammond…_

"Colonel O'Neill?" he repeated.

"Sorry sir, it's really hard with two people talking to you at once." Jack said, rubbing his head.

"That's…alright Colonel. Did you hear the question?" The General asked. He had taken to being very sensitive to Jack, knowing that he must be hating this.

"I'd like to know what's going on Jack," the Secretary said, also being very tender and gentle. "I realize this must be very hard for you, but if the fate of this planet is at stake…" he trailed off.

"Yes sir, Kanan thinks it'd be easier if we waited and explained it when everyone's here. And frankly sir, I agree." The whole room fell silent with a nod from the Secretary.

Daniel was leaning back in his chair and rocking from side to side, staring at the ceiling. Teal'c was standing perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back, looking out the window to the gate room, awaiting the arrival of the Tok'ra. An armed guard had his weapon hung loosely in front of him, obviously having lost interest in Jack. But Carter had a grave look on her face and was, with her eyes narrowed, staring fixedly at the table.

"Off-world activation!" the alarms went off. The group was ordered to wait, and the Secretary and General Hammond walked down the stairs.

"Hey Sam." Jacob said with his arms held out to her. They hugged and sat back down, Sam sitting with Jack and her father on either side of her.

"Greetings General Hammond. It is good to finally meet you Mr. Secretary. I would like to thank you and your people again for the supplies you sent us, they were very helpful." Aldwin said.

"You're very welcome Councilor. I hope relations between our two peoples will continue like that in the future. But right now, we have some more pressing issues to talk about." Aldwin nodded.

"Why have you asked us here?" The Secretary raised his eyebrows.

"You haven't told them yet George?" The General shook his head.

"I thought it would be better Kanan told them himself."

"Kanan?" Selmak asked. Jack stood up, walking towards Aldwin and Selmak; both Tok'ra had taken control of their hosts, and dropped his head. When he lifted it again, Jack could feel that he had no power over himself, but he was growing used to it. He felt a strange heat in his eyes as they glowed gold; Kanan was speaking. He explained everything that he had to Jack, with slightly less detail about taking the human slave as a host against his will, and left off at the part where he was left on the water-aired planet. Sensing that he really didn't want to say this part, Jack took over and finished.

"And then he took me as a host, against my will," He added scathingly, "And now we're here." Kanan took over again.

_Would you cut that out? If you're gonna talk, say everything and be done, this is driving me nuts!_

"I would never have taken a host that was not willing unless the need was dire. Colonel O'Neill agrees that it was and we both now wish to know what is to happen about the fleet on Othialsgoth." Selmak considered Kanan for a moment and then looked at Aldwin.

"So the situation is obviously time sensitive Councilor. What do you propose we do?" The secretary asked.

"Understand sir that the Tok'ra will do everything in their power to help thwart this attack, but as of yet, we can do nothing to help you until we have presented this information to the rest of Tok'ra council." He turned to Kanan. "You are aware that because of your actions Kanan, you-"

"Have been banished?" He finished. Selmak nodded.

"Yes, and until you have redeemed yourself, you are not permitted to return to the ranks of the Tok'ra." Kanan nodded slowly and sat down, massaging his forehead.

"Thank you very much Councilor. We hope to hear from you soon." The Secretary said. After a quick farewell, he and General Hammond escorted the two Tok'ra down to the control room. Sg-1, having been dismissed, sat quietly for a while. Sam had barely moved since her father had arrived and still sat staring down at the tabletop.

_What the hell was that?_ Jack asked Kanan, a slight edge to his voice. It was less like asking than thinking; Jack had already grown accustomed to 'speaking' to Kanan silently, making it easier for him to understand.

_You are referring to what I did for Major Carter on the planet?_

_Yeah, so? If you know everything I now, then what were you thinking? _Jack asked. He had a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't want to place.

_She was in danger. I don't really understand it myself. Something came over me; I wonder if it was not me but you that caused us to take action. You and Major Carter-_

_Are colleagues. We work together; we have a bond that maybe other officers don't have because we've depended on each other for so long, but that's it. _Jack said defiantly. _Hell, it could just be that gate-travel's going to our heads finally._

_Never have I had a host as strong-willed as you, Jack…_

"So what now?" Daniel was saying the real world.

_What are you fighting so hard to hide?_

"Carter? You okay?" Jack asked, seeing the look on her face. She didn't respond, only opening her mouth to say something and thinking better of it.

"Sam?" Daniel joined in. She still didn't speak, looking pleadingly at the Colonel, silently begging him to change the subject.

"Well since there's nothing we can do right now, I vote for pizza and Star Wars at my house." Jack said happily, clapping his hands together. The other three agreed to meet there in two hours, Daniel laughing heartily at the look of utter joy on Teal'c when he heard they'd be seeing Star Wars again.

"How many times has it been now Teal'c?" He asked.

"Fourteen." He replied cheerfully. Sam had only nodded and stood up to leave, but just as she was heading for the stairs, Jack caught her by the arm and whispered in her ear.

"Why don't you show up early?" It was more of an order than a request. Sam gave a quick 'yes sir' and practically fled down the stairs.

"What's up with Sam?" Daniel asked while he and Teal'c walked down the hall together.

"I believe she is having a difficult time adjusting to O'Neill's blending with the Tok'ra Kanan." Teal'c replied. Daniel shook his wet hair.

"I don't know, it seems like more than that." This time Teal'c didn't reply, causing Daniel to look at him oddly. "She told you something didn't she?"

"She did not."

"Then what aren't you saying Teal'c?" Teal'c sighed and dropped his head somewhat; an Airman was walking in the hall with them, when he spoke again, it was in Goa'uld so he and Daniel could speak privately.

"In the past, both Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter have shown great distress when the other was in danger." Daniel cocked his head somewhat.

"They show distress when we're in trouble to, right?" He replied in the same language. Teal'c shook his head.

"I do not believe either of them are less concerned with our safety."

"Then what do you believe?" Daniel's eyebrows had disappeared into his long sandy hair. Teal'c looked around the locker room to make sure they were alone and then spoke in English again.

"I believe that Colonel O'Neill's and Major Carter's relationship may be more than of a professional manner."

"All I've seen is that they're good friends."

"I fear they are considerably more than good friends Daniel Jackson. And worse, I fear they will never come to know it."


	8. True Feelings

"Hey Carter. Come on in." Jack said as he ushered Sam through his front door. It was a full hour before Daniel and Teal'c would come with the pizza and movie, and Jack intended to find out what was bothering Carter before they did.

"Thanks sir." She replied. He led her over to the sofa and went alone to the kitchen for beers.

_You know very well what's wrong with her. It's the same thing that's wrong with you. _Jack thought to himself. _Crap. _Kanan had heard that.

_I did, but until you stop hiding whatever it is from me, I will not be able to help you. _

_Why do you want to help me anyway? I thought you were just interested in a very temporary host to get your info across? _

_I am also glad it was you that came to that planet. First so I could make amends for what I did, but also to repay the great debt I owe you for saving Shayla. For the short time you were my host before, I felt a sentiment in you that must be rectified if you are to ever be happy._ Jack thought for a moment. Kanan must be talking about his son's death, and there was no way he could ever rectify that pain.

_I wasn't talking about your son Jack. I was referring to Major Carter. Sam. _

_I already told you about us. Hell there is no "us"._

_That's what you're hiding from me isn't it Jack? You're hiding your love for her… _Jack couldn't hold it in anymore. He knew Kanan was right, but he didn't want him to be. If he was truly in love with Sam, it would mean one of two things. One of them would have to retire, or they would have to hide it.

"Here you go Carter. Bottoms up." He said, handing her a beer. They sat for a long time in silence, each avoiding the other's eyes. When Jack did look up, he saw that Sam's face was red and it was all too obvious that she had been crying.

"Thanks for talking to me sir." She said quietly. "I-" She couldn't finish. Jack put his beer down and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Carter…Sam, I think I know what's wrong. And I think you know-"

"That it just-"

"Can't-

"Work." They finished together. Sam nodded and rubbed her tearing eyes out.

"Thank you sir. It's enough that you know." She said. Jack was about to reply, but the doorbell rang announcing Teal'c and Daniel's arrival. Had it been an hour already?

"Hey Jack." Daniel said smiling. "We got mushroom, cheese, and Teal'c wanted to try ham and pineapple so we got that too." Teal'c never looked more excited in his life. Star Wars, ham and pineapple pizza, and Daniel having let him drive had brought a huge smile to the jaffa's normally stony face.

This smile caused all of Sg-1, even the deeply depressed Sam to enjoy a long night of laughter.


	9. Nothing To Fear

"Kanan thinks it would cause more damage if we put the bomb in the partially completed ship. He says the fact that its shields aren't functional yet would keep them from stopping the chain reaction." Jack explained, pointing to a symbol of a Goa'uld mother ship on the map before them.

Jack and Sg-1 were in the Tok'ra base on Heunalla planning the attack on the planet where Anubis' fleet was. The Tok'ra had only allowed Jack to come under the condition that he was to remain in control at all times, Kanan still being unwelcome. Selmak, who had remained quiet until now, nodded.

"I believe it would be prudent to place a device there, but not at the expense of destroying the completed mother ship. We cannot allow it to leave; it would still be able to destroy Earth alone. If we are to place a bomb in the third ship, we must acquire another to place in the first."

"Where's Anubis going to be in all this?" Daniel asked, waving a hand over the map. Jack shrugged.

"We only know he's gonna be there, Kanan's not sure what ship he'll be on." Carter moved forward and looked over the map.

"What about this second ship sir?" She asked, pointing at the one in the middle.

"It's not gonna be a problem. They've been taking parts from it to put in the other ships. That hunk's not going anywhere soon."

"But you said there was a load of refined naquadah on board right?" She said smiling and looking around. "If we can find out where they're storing it on the ship, one naquadah enhanced warhead should cause enough of an explosion to destroy it and disable both the other ships." Selmak smiled a rare smile and bowed his head in agreement.

"How do we find out where they're keeping the shipment?" Daniel asked. Carter looked from Daniel to Jack and back again.

"That's where you two come in." She said slyly. "Kanan knows his way around the ship, so he can get you, Daniel, to the main computer. You understand the code Anubis uses so you can just look it up." Jack and Daniel nodded.

"What are you and Teal'c gonna do?" Jack asked looking at his hulking friend.

"In addition to ringing the bomb up to you, we have to take out these ground armaments here and here," she pointed at two more symbols, "so they can't attack the system lords when they show up."

"Now explain that to me, why do the system lords have to be in on this?" Jack asked, irritated. He didn't like any plan that involved counting on a Goa'uld.

"The explosion on the ship with the naquadah will only _disable _the other ships, Jack, we can't leave anything for Anubis to fix and send to Earth." Jacob explained.

"Uh, no offense, but the last time we depended on the system lords to show up and blow Anubis out of the sky, Yu didn't show."

"Well, Yu isn't in control of the system lord's combined forces anymore, Baal is…" Daniel said tenderly.

"And he's so much more trustworthy." Jack scoffed. Daniel, and everyone else for that matter, decided not to push the subject.

"Uh, Jack?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah?" Jack said cautiously, wondering what he didn't want to say.

"We want you, or rather Kanan, to give Baal the message." Jack looked odd with no eyebrows, as they had receded into his hairline.

"What?"

"You wouldn't have to come in physical contact with him-"

"What'd you say?"

"You would be in a cargo ship above the planet-"

"Me?"

"It would be you standing on a holographic projector that the Asgard lent us-."

"Are you seriously asking _me _to speak to that-"

"No, Kanan can do it if you want but-"

"Scum-sucking-"

"Someone has to talk to him-"

"Sleazebag-"

"And none of the other Tok'ra can do it because we have operatives there-"

"Sniveling-"

"He knows you and will actually listen-"

"Greasy-"

"And you have full knowledge of the plan-"

"Snake-head?"

"Jack it's got to be done." Jack dropped his head and sighed heavily.

"I know. Who's coming with me?"

"Me and Selmak will come, and Teal'c can go too, but Daniel probably should take a look at some new information on Anubis' code we have, and Sam needs to go to the Groom Lake facility to get the bomb." Jack nodded again and looked to his team.

"Okay, let's get back and give General Hammond the plan." When Sg-1 walked through the gate, the General was waiting for them. He had an apprehensive look on his face and looked to Jack, who's face was still grave.

"Colonel, care to fill me in?" Jack told his CO half the plan on the way up to the briefing room.

"But there's a catch sir."

"When isn't there?"

"I have to deliver the message to Baal. We'll be leaving today in a couple of hours to fill him in. The Tok'ra have a cargo ship we can take and if all goes well, we bring the bomb, Baal brings the guns, and everyone has a merry, Anubis-free Christmas." Jack said, sarcasm practically dripping from his mouth. The General agreed and sent the team to prepare.

"O'Neill, may I speak with you alone?" Teal'c asked. Jack agreed and they waited for everyone to leave the locker room.

"What's up Teal'c?" Jack asked, putting on his dress-uniform for the meeting with Baal. Teal'c hesitated for a moment and sat on the bench opposite his friend.

"How is Major Carter feeling?" he asked tenderly.

"She's the one you should be asking that question. Why do you want to talk about Carter?"

"As Daniel Jackson puts it, I wish to be blunt O'Neill."

"Okay, be blunt."

"I believe you and Major Carter have a special bond, one that cannot and should not be ignored any longer." Jack dropped his head to his chest.

"I agree." Kanan replied for him. "Colonel O'Neill does not seem to want to discuss it, even with me."

"His affiliation with the Air Force prevents any unprofessional relationship between himself and Major Carter."

"Indeed. How did you come across this information Teal'c?" Kanan asked.

"When we believed O'Neill had become host to a Goa'uld, Major Carter was greatly distraught. She confessed to me her true feelings and I suggested that she tell O'Neill."

"She did. They came to an agreement to not discuss it." Teal'c changed to Goa'uld, as the locker room was no longer private.

"Is there no way to convince O'Neill to confront his feelings?"

"Not yet. But I believe there will come a time, sooner rather than later."


	10. But Fear Itself

"Are we there yet?" Jack moaned, lying sideways over a chair in the cargo ship.

"It'll only be about ten more minutes." Jacob answered.

"That's what you said ten minutes ago." Jack retorted. Sitting in the small ship in his thick blue uniform had done nothing for his mood.

_You did not need to wear it._

_Yes I did. You think I'm gonna let Baal see me at anything less than my best?_

_If you would rather only I speak to him-_

_No, I'll do it. _

_I believe it would be healthy for you to confront your fear. But perhaps it would also be prudent for me to speak to him._

_Why?_

_Because I understand now what happened to you there. I feel it is my duty to be here for…moral support, as you would put it. _Jack wasn't sure how to respond to this. His angst at having been taken as a host, again, melted away for a moment and he was grateful to have Kanan there so he wouldn't have to go through this alone.

"We're here. Hop up on the platform Jack; we'll be listening, so just let us know when we should send down the map."

"You're not gonna send a message or something?" Jack asked. Jacob laughed somewhat.

"No, I've given up being courteous to Goa'ulds. He'll just have to deal with it when you drop in." After a hearty laugh, Jack stepped onto the platform and waited a few seconds. He felt nothing, but a light shone in his eyes and he was suddenly somewhere else. The walls were covered in Goa'uld hieroglyphs and torches were dancing in the corners.

He turned around and sitting in a throne before him was Baal, looking extremely perplexed. Two jaffa on either side of him fired at Jack, who just rolled back and forth on his heels while the blasts zipped through him, causing his holographic figure to muddle up for a moment.

"That's not gonna do you any good." He announced. The look on Baal's face was replaced by a nasty smile.

"A hologram, how creative of you. What do you want?" He questioned.

"I'll talk to you, and you alone." Jack said coldly. Baal waved a hand and the jaffa left, closing the doors behind them.

"I did not think you had the courage to face me alone." Baal said hotly.

"I'm not alone." Jack informed him. "Nice place you've got here. I might have gone a different way but-" Jack said. He had time for small talk. "Not that it matters, it's just gonna be destroyed with everything else once Anubis is out of the picture."

"I have heard threats from my enemies before. They have yet to act on them." Baal retorted unceremoniously. Jack dropped his head. When it came back up, his eyes glowed, positively driving the smile from Baal's lips.

"I have a new threat for you." Kanan said. Baal lifted his head superiorly.

"O'Neill has another symbiote? So he is Tok'ra after all. Who is it this time?"

"The same as it was before." Kanan said; Jack thought only a Goa'uld could have sounded more evil than he did now.

"So you are the infamous Kanan. I'm surprised O'Neill allowed you take him as a host even after all the pain you have caused him." Kanan didn't try to hide the fact that he wasn't proud of this, but he wasn't going to let Baal talk down to him.

"The pain _you_ caused him. Him and so many others; I wish for you to know that it was the Tau'ri that revealed the position of your secret base to Lord Yu. And your former slave Shayla has joined the fight against all Goa'ulds."

"This is supposed to disturb me, frighten me even?"

"No. But it is something you should consider. If your most loyal and trusted servant could be convinced to overthrow you, who can you trust _my lord_?" he said scathingly, glaring at Baal. "It is my sincere pleasure to tell you this: there is a universe of enemies that have bonded against you and your kind; if one of us falls, rest assured, the others will destroy you." Kanan had said what he wanted to say and dropped his head allowing Jack to take over.

"Why have you come before me?" Baal asked, the humor leaving his voice. Jack stopped for a moment, considering the Goa'uld in front of him.

"Straight to business then? Fine. Anubis has got a bunch of jaffa and ships on a planet called Othialsgoth and we need the combined force of you Goa'uld types to help us blow them all to hell." Jack paused for a moment to let this sink in. Baal laughed, looking Jack up and down condescendingly.

"What is the source of this fantasy that I'm going to help you?" He asked with a cruel smile on his face. Jack only smiled back.

"We thought you'd say that. Why should you bother blowing up some ships and jaffa for us, what's in it for you?" Baal cocked his head somewhat.

"I'm sure you are about to tell me." Jack smiled even more broadly.

"Anubis is gonna be there, and he's not coming in a ship." This wiped the sadistic look from Baal's face. "Jacob, map." Jack said, looking up pointlessly. A few seconds later, a 3-dimensional, holographic map was floating in front of Jack. Baal looked at the map and then Jack again.

"Show me." He said standing up and walking towards him, his eyes speeding over the map.

"We're gonna blow this middle ship. It's got some naquadah stored in it so the explosion will immobilize these two." Jack said, pointing at the other two mother ships.

"Are you confident the reaction will be strong enough to disable the other ships?"

"Positive. And since Anubis will be coming through the gate, he won't have anywhere to run." Baal considered this for a moment.

"These canons will pose a problem." He said, gesturing toward the slew of ion canons that Anubis had stolen from the late Tollans. Jack thought how odd it was for him to be so comfortable making battle plans with a Goa'uld he hated so much. It reminded him of the days when he commanded a black-ops team under a commander that was nothing short of evil.

"They'll be gone by the time you get there."

"What guarantees do I have of that?" Baal asked, eyeing Jack.

"None." He retorted callously.

"Then it is fortunate I am willing to risk it." He replied with a slight smile. Jack tilted his head a bit.

"Why _are_ you so willing?" He asked, an edge present in his voice. Baal smiled.

"As much of an irritation as the Tau'ri are, I am inclined to believe that you are as sincere in wanting to rid the galaxy of Anubis as the system lords. Even the worst of foes can unite under one banner to defeat their common enemy."

"Well, then we can both rest assured that after Anubis is dead, we can go right back to killing each other." Baal narrowed his eyes.

"We can indeed."

"And you have my promise, that when that time comes…we're coming after _you_ first."

"That went well." Jack said after Jacob had shut off the holograph machine. He stepped merrily off the platform and slid back into his seat. Teal'c was obviously pleased at how Jack had dealt with Baal; his smile was likely to consume his ears at any moment. Even Jacob had laughed aloud at Jack's words.

"He says he'll be there?" he asked after he had caught his breath.

"Yep. He did this weird head nod and said he'd bring four mother ships. That's enough right?" Jack replied. Jacob nodded and took them back into hyperspace.

"It would take a minimum of two mother ships to do the job in time, so three is even better." Jack smiled again and went to the cargo bay to switch out of his dress uniform.

_Hey, thanks for sticking up for me in there. _Jack thought to Kanan.

_It was the least I could do. I certainly wasn't just going to sit by like-_

_Like last time?_

_I suppose._

_I already forgave you for that, you asked me to forgive you; that's enough. _Kanan transferred his gratitude silently and Jack felt even better as he walked back out to the peltac.

"So, how long until we get back to Heunalla?" Jack asked.

"About forty-five minutes. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm not." Jack replied, a grave look coming over is face. "I just want to know how long we have to live…"

"You do not believe we will survive this mission O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, tilting his head towards his staff weapon.

"I'm dunno Teal'c. I've just got a bad feeling about this one." He said for the second time in four days.

_You are not worried about surviving the mission. _Kanan said.

_No._

_You're concerned that Major Carter will be in danger._

_Yes._

_More than usual…_

_Definitely._

_Because of her affirmation to you?_

_I guess. But I know it's got _something_ to do with you._

_The blending has increased your physical strength and sensory functions, but it has also amplified your capacity for emotion. _

_Is that supposed to mean I was insensitive before?_

_I should rephrase myself. You have the same capacity for emotion as before the blending, but now, you can more easily tap in to these emotions._

_Right. Can we talk about something else? _The ride back to the Tok'ra base was long and quiet. All four passengers knew that they might not survive this mission, and no one wanted to talk about it. They sat in silence, each preparing himself for what lay ahead.


	11. Godspeed

"How'd it go sir?" Sam asked as Jack and Teal'c walked down the platform in the SGC.

"It's all good," he replied, "We drop the bomb, take out the canons, Baal shows up with the cavalry, Anubis is toast and we all go home. Me and Baal are thinking about having a barbecue afterward too, the usual you know? Burgers, barbecue chicken, hot wings, some acid…" Sam just nodded and waved him over to his pack where his faithful P-90 had been replaced with a newer model P-91.

"You like it sir?" Sam asked, waiting to see the look on Jack's face. Her CO always loved new and improved weapons, and the fact that he had gone without one for three days brought an even bigger smile to his face.

"Why-"

"A birthday present from General Hammond and Sg-1. Actually sir, the whole SGC pitched in to get you the prototype." Sam said with a smile.

"My birthday's not for a week Carter."

"So it's an early birthday present." She said playfully. Jack swung the weapon around in his hand and looked it over.

"We get to blow Anubis to hell, save earth, and I get a shiny new gun! This is the best birthday ever." Jack said sarcastically, but he couldn't hide the happiness and gratitude he felt.

"Sg's 1, 3, and 9, the people of this facility and of this planet offer their thanks for what you are about to do for your country and your world." The Secretary said.

"Good luck and Godspeed." General Hammond finished. The group of SGC officers and enlisted personnel standing behind the General joined him in a salute as the teams went through the event horizon to Heunalla. On the other side, two Tok'ra guards escorted the teams to two cargo ships where they settled in for the long journey to Anubis' planet.

_Remind me again _why _do we have to go by ship?_

_The stargate on the planet is heavily guarded. We must arrive on the night side and cloaked or we will risk causing the fleet to leave early. From there it is a two-day journey to the encampment, leaving us two days to complete our mission._

_And why do we need two days?_

_It should only take a matter of hours to place the bomb and destroy the ion canons; the extended period of time is just a buffer zone._

_A buffer zone?_

_In the event that something goes wrong. _Jack didn't even bother replying to this comment; Kanan knew he wasn't pleased by it just by the odd feeling in the stomach they shared.

"Feeling okay Jack?" Jacob asked, seeing Jack shift in his seat.

"Yeah, just dandy. Hey, do you and Selmak ever disagree on stuff?"

"Of course why?" Jack ruffled his own hair.

"It's really…weird." Jacob laughed and clapped Jack on the shoulder understandingly. "How do you deal with it?"

"We debate for hours until one of us gives up." Jacob replied laughingly. "I'm just kidding, we don't disagree that often. And even when we do, we feel each other's feelings so we just kind of drop it."

_Why don't we do that?_

_As I will be leaving your body after this is over, I thought it best that I did not fully blend with you. This will ensure that you do not have mixed feelings that may cause depression or anger after I depart. _

_You're gonna leave? Why?_

_Because we have our own lives to live, Jack, and we must get on with them. I know you do not wish to continue serving as my host and live in service to the Tok'ra nay more than I wish to abandon my people and serve at the SGC. It must be done so we can continue to fight the Goa'uld, and God-willing, defeat them one day._

_Thanks. I don't really know what- did you just say God-willing? _Jack practically laughed aloud, or rather Kanan did.

_It is my favorite of your earth sayings. _

"Sam, Teal'c, Daniel; you guys better get some sleep before we get there. It's gonna be a long walk to the other side of the planet." Jacob said, tossing them each sleeping bags. Jack looked longingly at the bags and then sighed.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"Well I haven't slept in four days Daniel."

"It's not like you need to…" he replied carefully.

"I know it just feels wrong not to." Jack ended up wishing even more he could still sleep as the evening dragged by. The trip was twice as long and boring with only Jacob to talk to, and much of that time, Selmak and Kanan were in deep conversation about something Jack didn't even bother listening to.

"We have arrived." Selmak said, looking over his shoulder at the controls.

"I will wake the others." Kanan replied. He walked into the cargo bay where Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were peacefully sleeping. He tapped the perfectly still form of Teal'c on the shoulder and then moved over to Daniel, who needed an extra prod to be roused. He moved to Sam last and gently shook her to awakening. She smiled sweetly at him and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Um, yeah, thanks." She answered awkwardly. Jack struggled for control, it seemed to be harder for him to take control than it was for Kanan, understandably so; but he won out and cleared his throat quietly.

"Uh, sorry Carter. I'll-"

"Yeah…" she finished as he pointed out of the room. Daniel saw this uncomfortable moment and hastened to change the subject so Jack had time to flee.

"Sam, explain to me again how the naquadah is gonna make the explosion bigger?" Jack shot him a grateful thumbs-up and jogged back to the peltac.

_What do you think you're doing?_

_I'm only trying to help-_

_Then help by not ever pulling that or anything like it again._

"We're going in for a fast and rough landing everybody, so hold on tight." Jacob yelled from the pilot's seat. 'Rough' was probably not a strong enough word for the landing Jacob made to the planet, Jack thought. When they met Sg-3 and Sg-9, it seemed their landing had been just as rattling.

"So now?" Daniel asked, absentmindedly trying and failing to tie his boot. Jack's eyes glowed and Kanan looked off into the trees.

"Now we walk."


	12. To War

"Finally!" Major Castleman hissed. "Is this it?" The two-day trek through the scratching and biting underbrush took a lot out of the group; the added tension of finally beginning their mission didn't help, but it set their minds on task rather than on their sore feet.

"This is it." Jack replied. "Carter, you and Teal'c take Sg-9 and get ready to blow the ion canons. Castleman, you and your team will move around behind the gate and get set up to get us out of here. Jacob, maybe you should go with Sg-9, they're gonna need all the hands they can get." Castleman gave a quick salute and headed off with his team.

"Right, here," he said, handing Jack a strange looking booklet of some kind. "Daniel might need this to get into the computer." He explained before departing with his daughter. As she was leaving, Jack threw a rock at her back to get her attention.

"Carter!"

"Sir?"

"Be careful!"

"Yes sir!" She said with a smile, then she turned and walked off; Jack had a funny feeling something would go wrong, but he had other things to be concerned about at the moment.

"Looks like it's just you and me Danny boy." Jack said, slapping him on the back. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." He replied, standing up.

"Okay, let's go." Jack dropped his head and Kanan took over.

"Follow me." Kanan led the way silently through the encampment, having to hold Daniel back occasionally when he got too far ahead of himself, and within minutes, they were hiding behind an empty cargo ship. Four jaffa stood guard around the ring platform they needed to use and Kanan already had his zat out. After a quick nod to Daniel, the two rolled out and shot the jaffa three times each.

"Their absence will not go unnoticed for long, we must hurry." Kanan said.

"How do we activate it?" Kanan answered this by pressing a button on one of the gauntlets he had taken from the jaffa, sending them upward into the ship. After taking out several more guards, he and Daniel snuck quietly through the ship, checking around corners and holding their zats out, at last coming to a small room with a computer system in its center.

"How long is this gonna take Daniel?" Jack asked after an hour or so. He was getting annoyed and had begun jumping at small noises in the corridor.

"One more second, wait… Got it!" he whispered. "The naquadah shipment's on the second level cargo hold, and…Yes! It's got a ring platform in it so we can bring the bomb straight up."

"Great, get on the radio with Carter and let her know where and when to send it up, but for gods sake do it fast!" After Daniel relayed the information, he and Jack tread carefully though the corridors and made it in a fairly short amount of time to the second level, walking slowly into the giant room they found.

"What are we waiting for?" Daniel asked, Jack had grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled him backwards to hide behind a pile of shipping crates.

"It's a huge shipment of refined naquadah Daniel."

"So?"

"So where are the guards?" Jack said; they waited for another moment and as he had predicted, a jaffa patrol of six that would surely have killed them if he hadn't stopped Daniel came into view.

"Okay Carter, send it up." Jack said into the microphone after they had dealt with the patrol. They waited for a second or two and stared at the rings, but nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Daniel said when they heard no response.

"Carter, respond." But there was no need to say this. The ring platform activated and Jack saw to his horror, Sam and two members of Sg-9, their hands bound, appear with several jaffa standing around them.

"Tok'ra kree." A voice said from behind Jack. He turned just in time to get a staff weapon slammed in his stomach. It hurt as it always would have, but he recovered quickly with Kanan's help. Daniel suffered the same fate, and Jack had to help his friend walk out from behind the crates to be taken with the others to two holding cells. Daniel and the two Sg-9 members were thrown into one, and Jack and Sam were pushed roughly to the floor in another.

"What happened Carter?" He said untying her hands. She had a large bruise already forming on the side of her neck and was bleeding from the forehead.

"We got into it with some jaffa sir. Teal'c and my dad have the bomb and I told them to bring it up themselves if we couldn't, so it won't be long now." Jack nodded and pushed her chin to the side to see her bruise more clearly.

"What about the ion canons?"

"Those are already handled sir-"

"Carter,"

"We put enough C4 on them to blow them all and then some-"

"Carter,"

"And they're on automatic timer set exactly with the warhead-"

"Carter,"

"So it should all go up in flames exactly two minutes before Baal shows up tomorrow."

"Sam!" Jack said. This caught her attention enough to get her to stop talking. "Why don't you get some rest? Your head looks pretty bad…" Sam would have nodded, but she was already slipping away.

Jack caught her as she fell slowly to the floor and helped her over to a corner. But instead of leaving her alone there, Jack sat down with her and lifted her head into his lap. He cleaned some of he blood away with his jacket sleeve and then moved her hair out of her face. Sam became conscious on and off throughout the night, but she was only able to utter short sentences before drifting back to sleep. One such time, she tried to pull herself to a sitting position, but Jack held her gently down by the shoulder.

"No, go back to sleep Sam, you need to rest."

"Colonel…Jack?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"Are we gonna die here?" Jack didn't have the heart to answer her with what he knew was the truth.

"No, we're not gonna die. You keep fighting, we're gonna get out of here."

"Jack! Jack!" Daniel's voice came drifting in through the barred cell door. Jack gently laid Sam's head on the floor and walked over to the access. Daniel as in an identical cell to his own, one barred door sticking out of four solid walls. He was leaning against the bars and had something concealed in his hand.

"What is it?"

"The notebook Jacob gave me, it's a Tok'ra radio! Teal'c wants to talk to you; catch!" Daniel stuck his arm out through the bars and tossed the book as far as he could. Jack had to lie on the floor and stick his arm up to the shoulder through his door to grab it, and when he did, radio garble issued from it.

"This is O'Neill, come back." He said into the book, not quite sure how he knew how to work it.

"O'Neill, can you here me?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah Teal'c I'm here, did you get the bomb in place?"

"Indeed. The mission is near completion. What is your current situation?" Jack looked around the cell at Sam and then back across to Daniel.

"Uh, we're prisoners on the ship where the naquadah is and it doesn't look like we're going anywhere fast." More radio garble issued from the book after this statement, causing Jack to hit it against the wall in frustration. "Didn't catch that Teal'c, say again?"

"It may be possible to extract you before the bombs go Jack, we can get your location using the communicator." Jacob answered.

"Negative Jacob, we can't risk two SG teams to get the five of us out. Proceed with the mission as planned."

"Jack we're…" The radio corruption drowned out Jacob's voice and Jack bashed it against the wall several more times.

"Jacob, Jacob, come in?" No reply. "Jacob please respond." Some more shredded sounds came through the radio, and in addition to several voices, Jack was positive he heard staff weapon fire. But his attention was caught by Sam's coughing. He rushed to her side to see that she was coughing up blood.

"Jack…"

"Shh, don't talk-"

"No, you have to know this-" But Jack never discovered what 'this' was. Seconds after he had concealed the radio, three jaffa entered the cell. One shoved him backward with his staff while the other two grabbed Sam by the arms and half-lead half-dragged her out of the cell.

"Hey!" Jack yelled; he tried to go after her, but the jaffa activated his staff weapon and forced him back down. "Where are they taking her?" He asked, there was something about this jaffa that he trusted, almost as if he knew him.

"I wish to speak to the Tok'ra." The jaffa said. Jack dropped his head and Kanan's eyes glowed brightly.

"Where are they taking Major Carter?" he asked furiously.

"She is dying, the wounds visible to you are not her only injuries. We do not believe that Anubis is a god and will do our best to help you. Major Carter will die if we don't take her to a sarcophagus."

"And in the meantime?"

"Wait here, when we return with her, we will attempt to free the rest of you." The jaffa bowed his head and left without another word. Jack paced the cell back and forth waiting for Sam's return for several hours, constantly rubbing his forehead and ruffling his hair.

"Jack! Look out!" Daniel called. He turned around just in time to see the door of his cell blasting off its hinges. He dove out of the way and rolled back to his knees perfectly, suddenly glad again to have a symbiote. Jack stood up and held out his hands, ready to take whatever came through the door with a fight.

"Castleman? Jacob?" He said, dropping his fists. "I gave you express orders not to come up here!" The Major gave a small laugh and threw Jack his vest and gun.

"With all do respect sir, you're under an alien influence. We really couldn't be sure whether it was you or your Tok'ra symbiote talking so General Carter-"

"Ordered a rescue mission." Jack nearly laughed aloud at how well Jacob and Major Castleman had twisted the situation into an excuse.

"Where's Teal'c?"

"He's on the surface with Sg-3, sir, preparing to let us out through the gate." Jack nodded.

"What happened to your leg?" He asked, noticing how Jacob was limping.

"Broke it getting the bomb up here, but Selmak will fix it."

"Alright let's go then."

"Sir!" One of the lieutenants called from outside the cell. The two officers rushed to the door and Castleman cocked his weapon.

"Hold your fire! They're with us!" Jack yelled. He moved toward the jaffa, who had returned alone and was standing in the doorway. Their leader slowly lowered his weapon as an act of good faith, and the SG teams did the same.

"It seems you are no longer in need of rescuing." The jaffa said.

"Yeah, I guess not, where's Carter?"

"She is still recovering in the sarcophagus. We were coming to tell you…she died as we carried her, it will take much longer now to revive her." Jacob looked as though he was about to collapse.

"Jack?" He questioned weakly. Jack's heart had also skipped a beat. But he was able to shake it off more quickly.

"Castleman."

"Y-yes sir?"

"Take your team, Sg-9, Daniel, and General Carter out of here. No arguments Jacob, you're a burden with that limp." He turned back to the jaffa, "Will you take us to the sarcophagus?"

"Yes. Follow me." The leader turned on his heal and led Jack through a montage of twisting corridors, narrowly missing two jaffa patrols and having to dart backward at times to avoid others.

"Look out!" Jack yelled, pulling the jaffa out of the way of staff fire. The patrol moved toward them, weapons raised, and for a moment, Jack thought they'd had it. But more staff weapon fire could be heard from down the corridor and someone called out to them in Goa'uld.

"It is Neshod." The jaffa leader indicated. They stepped out from behind the wall and joined the jaffa that had come to their rescue.

"How long will this take?" Jack said, touching the top of the sarcophagus. The leader looked from Jack to his men.

"It may take an hour or more; too long if you wish to leave before your weapon is activated. And, my men and I cannot stay here, our treason has most likely been discovered, we must flee."

"Where will you go?" the leader shrugged. "Well I guess you're coming with us. My team is stationed behind the stargate; let them know I sent you."

"Thank you, we are eternally grateful."

"It's no problem. And tell them…tell them not to wait for us." The leader considered him for a moment, and gave him a jaffa salute before leaving him alone to wait.


	13. Last Brave Act

As the jaffa had taken his watch when they captured Jack, thinking it a weapon, he had no idea how long he had been waiting already. He had sat against the end of the sarcophagus what seemed like ages ago and hadn't moved since.

_They're gonna make it out okay, right?_

_I believe they will._

_How long have we been here?_

_I would say nearly an hour. I suppose you were right Jack._

_About what?_

_About the mission. I take no pleasure in saying it, but I believe we are going to die here._

_Yeah. _

_Then perhaps you should stop being so obstinate._

_Obstinate? Who's being obstinate?_

_Jack, you know exactly what I'm talking about. We are blended, as one; you know all that I know now. I am referring to Sam._

_You mean Major Carter._

_Major Carter and Sam, though in the same body, can never be the same person anymore than you and I can. _

_I don't follow._

_The same person for _you_, Jack. You cannot pretend to me. Your stony exterior is not my concern, only the part I share with you, your heart and your mind, and both tell me that you love Sam. The fact that Sam is Major Carter is the only thing stopping you from telling her that._

_So what? We're gonna die, it's not like I can call General Hammond up right now and retire._

_Yes, Jack, we are going to die. What will it matter if you tell her?_

_What will it matter if I don't? _But the conversation stopped there. Jack flew to his feet and dove behind the sarcophagus, escaping the staff blast by a hair's breadth. It flared past his head and hit the wall.

"Tok'ra kree!" A jaffa called to him. "Surrender now and your life will be spared!" Jack thought for a moment; if he surrendered, it would make the jaffa leave, maybe giving Sam the time she needed to get out.

_We cannot, Anubis would use his technology to extract knowledge from us that could effectively destroy both our peoples._

_I know. Are you ready? _Jack asked. Kanan nodded somewhere inside him and they jumped out from behind the sarcophagus, guns blazing. An amazingly short battle though it was, Jack had run out of ammo before killing the last jaffa.

"Let us end this honorably!" the jaffa yelled, throwing down his staff. Jack did the same with his P-91 and they flew at each other. Jack expected the jaffa to take him down quickly as Teal'c had done so many times before, but he soon discovered the reason Jacob loved being Tok'ra.

He was as strong as, if not stronger, than his foe and the two fought, hand to hand, until both were bleeding in several places. When it looked like Jack was going to win, he had the jaffa pinned to the floor by his throat, he was kicked hard in the stomach, throwing him backwards. The wind was knocked out of him, and before he could rise, the jaffa had pulled out a zat and aimed it at his chest.

"Now you die Tok'ra scum-" But a staff weapon had been fired from behind Jack, the blast sending the jaffa flying backwards.

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Sam said; she was standing on the sarcophagus with a staff weapon in hand. She swayed a little and had to step down. Jack ran over to help her and when her feet hit the floor, he flung his arms around her and kissed her long and full on the lips. Sam was too happy to care. The tough Air Force Major hadn't woken up from her slumber in the sarcophagus and the loving Samantha Carter took over, throwing her arms on Jack and returning the kiss.

"I love you." He said, refusing to let go of her. Jack knew now why Kanan had emphasized that they were going to die. Nothing inside him would let him die without telling Sam the truth.

"I know." She stroked his face and a tear fell down her own. "I love you."

"I know." Jack repeated. He looked at her watch, which hadn't been removed. "Five minutes."

"There wouldn't be time to get us out of here by the rings." Sam said. Jack nodded and looked over her shoulder. He glared evilly for a moment and then clapped a hand to his forehead.

"Kanan I'm gonna kill you!" Only his Tok'ra symbiote could have stopped him from noticing. Sam turned around to see what had angered him. Behind them lay, as Jack would call it, a shiny new death glider. Jack let go of his fury for a moment and the two ran towards the ship with only minutes to spare, if minutes would even be enough.


	14. Till Death Do Us Part

"Major Castleman, where is Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, he had been waiting for a long time for the rescue team to return and was perplexed when he didn't see two members of his team.

"He went back for Sam." Daniel said, the look on his face told Teal'c that what he and Daniel had discussed that day in the locker room was coming true.

"He also wishes that you do not wait for them." Three jaffa had stepped out of the bushes. They dropped their weapons and Daniel explained how they had helped them.

"How long will-"

"She may not wake at all. But Anubis knows you are here and troops are moving this way" The jaffa interrupted. Teal'c considered this for a moment. He was now the highest ranking 'officer' in the group, even Major Castleman was looking for instructions. The strong one-time first prime of Apophis was at a loss. Did he leave his best friend and fellow teammate behind?

_O'Neill's first concern would be the safety of the rest of them._ A voice inside him said. Teal'c agreed and looked at Daniel.

"Please dial the gate." Daniel nodded and jogged over to the DHD. Teal'c then turned to Major Castleman. "Sg-3 will secure the immediate premises and ensure that everyone returns safely to the SGC."

"Yes sir! Lets hold the fort marines!" He shouted, everyone moved to their designated places and readied themselves for the troops to come. The staff blasts didn't sound far off. The three jaffa that had helped Jack also drew up their weapons and took positions protecting the gate. It was a tense moment, and nearly everyone jumped when the gate activated.

"Sorry…" Daniel said.

"Master Teal'c! They launch gliders against us!" Teal'c looked at the center ship to see one, solitary glider climbing from it.

"Just one?" Jacob commented.

"Jack and Sam!" Daniel said hopefully.

"Hold your fire!" Teal'c shouted. The glider swirled through the air, barely missing some fire from the ion canons, and just before it reached the forest near the gate, the naquadah bomb sent a shockwave through the ground. Daniel fell over from the added shock of the C4 on the cannons and the rest of the team stared in awe at the center ship as it went down in flames that spread to the two vessels on either side.

"Begin the retreat!" Teal'c ordered. The techies from Sg-9 leaped through the gate just as staff blasts began to hit it. The jaffa troops had arrived and the marines were already returning fire. Teal'c grabbed Daniel by the shirt and practically threw him into the wormhole.

"Baal's here!" Major Castleman yelled over the noise. Colossal orbs of something resembling fire were raining down from the sky and destroying the remaining troops and ships. Teal'c continued to order soldiers to retreat until only he, the leader of the jaffa, and Major Castleman remained.

"Go!" He ordered, tapping Castleman and the jaffa on the shoulders. "If we do not return, dial this planet and prevent Anubis from escaping!"

"Teal'c? What the hell are you still doing here!" Jack exclaimed seconds later as he came running out of the forest hand-in-hand with Sam. Teal'c didn't bother to respond; he let them go through the gate and followed barely inches behind.

"Shut it down!" Jack yelled when they reached the other side. The Sergeant in the control room keyed in the order and the gate began dialing the planet again unusually fast.

_Hurry, come on, dial!_ Jack thought, staring up at the gate. He pulled Sam out of the way as it activated, not having let go of her hand.

"Evacuate the gate-room!" General Hammonds voice came over the PA system. They hastened to obey his order as teams of heavily armed soldiers replaced them and began throwing everything they had through the wormhole. If there was anything left on the other side, it couldn't have been of this plane, Jack thought.

"Jack!" Sam said; she was staring in horror at Jack's stomach, where a staff blast had caused him to bleed all over himself and Sam.

"Wow, I didn't even notice…" He trailed off, giving way to unconsciousness. The last thing he heard before he passed out was Sam's voice calling out to him.

"No! No no no, don't leave me like this. Please…Jack!"


	15. Another Way

"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked.

"I've never been more sure about anything." Jack guaranteed. The past few weeks had been trying to say the least. Aside from saving the planet, for what Teal'c informed them was the tenth time, Jack had recovered from his injury with Kanan's help and then returned to Heunalla, where a new host awaited him, and the Tok'ra would receive him back with honors. It would have been a lie to say Jack was sad to see him go, but something deep inside of him had grown fond of the Tok'ra friend.

To their great disappointment, they learned that Anubis had survived Baal's attack. Ironically, he had escaped using the very cargo ships that Sg-1 had left on the other side of the planet. But Jack was more concerned with the task at hand.

Jack and Sam had already told Daniel and Teal'c about their plans to marry. Daniel had smiled and given Jack a sort of pat on the back before losing control completely, shouting "It's about time!" and "I always cry at weddings!" Teal'c had to go through a long explanation of what it meant to be a best man, which was a position Jack had split between him, Daniel, if all went well.

Sam and Jack had gotten into their very first 'official' argument when they decided to make plans for marriage. Jack had won the argument, through logic as well as stubbornness, insisting that the Air Force couldn't do without Sam's expertise. They stood in the briefing room, outside General Hammond's office and Jack bent down to kiss her before he went in.

"Good luck." She said. Jack knocked on the door and waited.

"Come." General Hammonds voice said from the other side. Jack opened the door and walked forward to the General's desk, where he was bent over signing some papers. But before he could say anything, the General spoke.

"Absolutely not Colonel." Jack was completely taken aback.

"S-sir?"

"You're here to put in your resignation, and the answer is no." He said with a smile. Then he did something so un-General like that Jack nearly fell over. He pulled out a party popper and pulled the string, causing a loud bang and a confetti snowstorm.

"How did you…?" But more confetti landed in Jack's mouth. Teal'c had just pulled the string of another party popper next to him, and Daniel was holding a muffin with two candles sticking out of it in his hands.

"Major Carter! Will you please come in here?" The General asked. She came in looking utterly bewildered. The broad smile had not left General Hammonds face as he pulled a black box out of his desk and walked up to the two officers.

"General?" Jack asked.

"Stand at attention Colonel, Major." They did and Teal'c and Daniel moved around behind the General. He opened the box in his hand and pulled out two small, silver Colonel's oak leaves.

"Congratulations Sam." Daniel said mischievously.

"Major Samantha Carter. Because of your exemplary service to the SGC, the United States Air Force, and this planet as a whole, you are being promoted to the rank of Colonel. May you continue serve with dignity and pride." The General pulled off her Major's insignia and replaced them with Colonel's wings and leaves, giving her a strong salute that she returned, still looking astonished.

"Uh, sir? Not that I'm complaining, but what happened to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel?" The General's smile grew to astronomical proportions.

"Seeing as you and Sg-1 just saved the world for the…" He looked to Teal'c.

"Tenth."

"Time, the President saw fit to make an exception-"

"In light of other events." Teal'c finished. Jack laughed aloud.

"You dogs!" Daniel dropped his head somewhat, like he always did when he was exceptionally happy.

"Teal'c" He stopped after Teal'c gave him a look. "Sorry, _we_ told General Hammond about your plans, and he was able to convince the President that it wouldn't interfere with your professional lives, and the President really likes you already Jack, so he decided to cut you a break." Colonel's O'Neill and Carter looked at each other with giant smiles on their faces and hugged, laughing with joy.

"So when's the wedding Colonel?" General Hammond asked. Jack laughed again and ruffled his own hair.

"Actually sir, I think the question is where…"


	16. Complete, At Long Last

"…To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" The General asked.

"I do…" Sam said.

"And do you, Colonel Jonathan O'Neill take Colonel Samantha Carter as your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Jack replied confidently.

"Then by the powers vested in me by the United States Air Force, I pronounce you husband and wife. Colonel O'Neill, you may kiss the bride." Jack jumped at the chance. A perfect silence surrounded that moment, and he grabbed Sam around the waist and lowered her into a dip. Thunderous applause didn't really describe the sound that followed their kiss. Daniel and the General clapped loudly along with everyone else, but Teal'c, who Jack was sure had gone mad, gave out a whoop of joy.

"Congratulations sweetheart." Jacob said, hugging his daughter. She was sure that if he didn't have Selmak to control him, he would be crying. Their wedding was taking place off world and was populated by many Tok'ra and was plastered blue with Air Force Officers and enlisted personnel. Even the Secretary of Defense had come, positively giddy with joy at getting to go through the gate. Jack's hand was raw by the time he had shook everyone's hand, and he was grateful when Kanan pulled him off to the side.

"This is really weird." Jack said, staring into the face of Kanan's new host.

"I too am experiencing a great deal of ambiguity. Normally, I would not have to speak allowed to you. But I will say this, congratulations Colonel-"

"Jack."

"Excuse me?"

"You've blended with me twice now Kanan, I think we're pretty much on a first name basis." Jack and Kanan laughed at this statement and hugged like old friends.

"But don't think you're off the hook for what you did just because I'm not your host anymore." Jack said, pushing him somewhat.

"What are you referring to?"

"You knew there was a glider in there, and you kept me from knowing it!" Jack said angrily, but he soon slipped back into a smile.

"I felt it was necessary to make you confess your feelings. Would you rather that you were not here as you are now?"

"Of course not, but-"

"Jack, it's our first dance, you coming?" Sam said, slipping her arm through his.

"Yeah sorry. Thanks…" He said to Kanan before he walked away. The two now had an understanding and a rapport that Jack knew would keep his planets relations with the Tok'ra on good terms, and more importantly gave him a new friend. But at the moment, he had even more important things to consider, like…

"What are you gonna call me?"

"I… I haven't…thought about it actually." Jack admitted as they danced. "Maybe I'll call you 'muffin'. Yeah 'set the C4 to go off in five minutes muffin, muffin lay down some cover fire!" Sam laughed aloud. "How about Sam?" he asked in all seriousness.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She laid her head against Jack's chest and they finished their wedding dance under the scarlet and purple moons of Aradonia. Jack closed his eyes and pulled his wife closer to him, knowing that at last his life had moved the last step toward being complete.


End file.
